1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid-crystalline polyester resin composition which is useful as a molding material for production of electronic components, and an electronic component using the same, particularly a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid-crystalline polyester has excellent melt fluidity and is therefore used as a molding material for the production of electronic components such as a molded article having a thin-wall portion, particularly an electronic component such as a connector having a thin-wall portion and a complicated shape. In order to improve characteristics such as mechanical strength of the electronic components, various studies have been made on a liquid-crystalline polyester resin composition which contains a liquid-crystalline polyester, a fibrous filler (glass fiber, etc.) and a platy filler (talc, etc.), as a molding material for the electronic components.
With the progress of surface mount technology relating to formation of terminals of electronic components and also with the trend of light, thin, short and small mobile devices using electronic components, thinner and more complicated-shaped electronic components has recently been required. A demand for thinning of a connector, particularly an elongated connector among the electronic components has increased. However, when an elongated connector having a very thin portion or an elongated connector having a small size is produced, the connecter tends to have warp in a longitudinal direction of the resultant connector. In order to obtain a connector having suppressed warp, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. (JP-A-) 2003-109700 proposes a resin composition which contains fillers and a liquid-crystalline polyester produced in the presence of an imidazole compound as a catalyst, as a molding material for providing such a connector.
The resin composition disclosed in JP-A-2003-109700 has melt fluidity sufficient to be molded into a connector having a complicated shape, and thus a connector with less warp can be obtained by molding of the resin composition. However, in the production of a connector having a more complicated shape as a result of further thinning, it is required that a molding material has more satisfactory melt fluidity and the occurrence of warp is further suppressed in the resultant connector. It is also required to further improve heat resistance (such as soldering resistance) to a soldering treatment in a surface mount process of the resultant connector.